Writing instrument



Get. 28, 1969 G. G. LARSON WRITING INSTRUMENT Filed July 5. 1967 INVENTOR m w L A G. a m E G United States Patent Office 3,475,104 Patented Oct. 28, 1969 3,475,104 WRITING INSTRUMENT George G. Larson, Woodland Hills, Calif., assignor to Eversharp, Inc., Milford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Filed July 3, 1967, Ser. No. 651,027 Int. Cl. B43k 7/02 US. Cl. 401-195 8 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A writing instrument characterized by an elongated barrel enclosing a ball point type ink cartridge, the barrel having a portion of reduced cross section at the top end thereof upon which a split sleeve slip mounting is received and held against removal by a plug cover telescoped over a hollow open ended top post with axially extending grooves forming passageways between the inside wall of the plug cover and the post which passageways lead to the exterior of the barrel through an opening between spaced ends of the split sleeve on the clip and provide a vent forming passageway from the interior of the barrel.

This invention relates to writing instruments and is more particularly concerned with improvements in a pen structure of the ball point type which includes an open ended ink cartridge housed in an elongate barrel with a venting arrangement at the upper end thereof.

It is a general object of the invention to provide an improved pen structure which can be economically produced for marketing at a relatively low price and which will operate in a satisfactory manner without clogging or drying out of the writing fluid.

It is a more particular object of the invention to provide a pen structure which comprises an elongate barrel having an ink-containing member housed therein with an opening at the top which is vented through passageways between the walls of a hollow end post and a telescoping cap, the latter serving also to retain a spring clip on the end of the barrel which has a split sleeve seated on a portion of the barrel of reduced cross section which adjoins the end post.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a pen structure which comprises an elongated barrel formed of plastic'material and housing an ink supply tube which is open at the top and the barrel having a hollow post at its upper end extending from an adjoining section which is of reduced diameter and on which the split sleeve of a clip structure is trapped by a plug telescoping over the post and provided with vent forming passageways which extend to a recess formed above a shoulder at the top of the barrel and which opens to the atmosphere through the split portion of the clip sleeve.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the pen structure which is shown by way of illustration in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a pen which embodies the principal features of the invention, the pen being shown to an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 2 is an exploded elevational view to a still larger scale with the pen structure in partly disassembled condition and with portions broken away;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary elevation, to an enlarged scale, showing the upper portion of the pen structure;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3; and

FIGURE 5 is a cross-section taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

The pen structure 10 (FIGURE 1) which is illustrative of the present invention is a ball point type having an elongate barrel 11 in which there is housed a cartridge-like tube 12- (FIGURE 2) containing a suitable writing fluid. The tube 12 extends through the barrel nose 13 and terminates at a tip 14 in which a writing ball 15 is seated. The nose 13 has a circumferential groove 16 for co-operation with an internal rib 17 in a cap forming member 18, the marginal portion of which is slit at 19 to provide the cap 18 with a snap-on feature.

At the top end of the barrel 11 there is a short section of reduced cross sectional diameter, indicated at 20, and a post forming end section 21 of still smaller diameter which is hollow so as to communicate with the open top end of the tube 12 containing the writing fluid.

A,clip member 22 is provided with a split sleeve 23 at its-upper end which is adapted to seat on the barrel end portion 20 which is of reduced diameter. As shown in FIG- URE 3 the axial dimension of the split sleeve 22, indicated at A, is larger than the corresponding dimension of thebarrel portion 20 on which the sleeve 22 is adapted to seat, indicated at B, and the split or opening 24 in the sleeve '23 is of substantial width so that when the clip is assembled with the barrel, that is, when the sleeve 23 is seated on the barrel portion 20, the upper edge 25 of the sleeve 23 extends above the shoulder forming edge 26 of the barrel portion 20, from which the end post 21 extends. The sleeve 23 is trapped or locked in position on the barrel portion 20 by the plug cover 27 which telescopes over the end post 21. The plug cover 27 has a flange 28 at the base which rests on the upper edge 25 of the split sleeve. The plug cover 27 is provided on its inner surface with circumferentially spaced, axially extending ribs 30 which frictionally engage the outer surface of the post 21 leaving passageways, indicated at 31 in FIGURE 4, between the same. Passageways 31 communicate with the space above shoulder 26 which results from the difference between the axial dimensions of the sleeve 23 and the barrel portion 20. With this arrangement a vent forming passageway is provided from the open top end of the ink tube 12 up through the post 21 down through the passageways 31 and out through the opening 32 which is at the top end of the slot 24. The cap 27 is retained in frictional engagement with the post 21 and serves the dual function of closing the end of the barrel 11 and locking the clip 23 in place while at the same time providing for venting of the barrel.

' In the form of the pen illustrated, the tube 12 for the writing fluid is permanently encased in the barrel 11. It will be obvious that this could be a removable cartridge, with, for example, the barrel 11 being made in separate sections so as to permit removal and replacement of the cartridge.

1 The plug cover 27 may be provided with the circumferential groove 33 for cooperation with the internal rib 17 in the snap-on cap 18 so as to enable the cap 18 to be retained on the cover end of the pen when the pen is in use.

While particular materials and spcific details of the construction have been referred to in describing the form of the pen structure which is illustrated it will be understood that other materials and dilferent structural details of an equivalent nature may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention.

I claim:

1. A writing instrument comprising an elongate barrel for housing a writing fluid with the upper end thereof open, said barrel having a portion at its upper end with a reduced cross sectional dimension resulting in an exterior ledge formation providing a seat for a clip attaching sleeve, 2. clip member having an attaching sleeve adapted to seat on said barrel portion of reduced cross sectional dimension with the bottom edge thereof on said ledge formation, a hollow post formation extending from said barrel portion of reduced cross sectional dimension at the upper end of said barrel and projecting above said attaching sleeve, and a plug cover adapted to telescope over said post formation with the bottom edge engaging the to pedge of said clip sleeve so as to retain said clip sleeve in position on said barrel portion of reduced cross sectional dimension, and said plug cover and sleeve having connecting passageways which are in communication with the interior of the barrel through said hollow post formation and with the exterior of the pen so as to form a vent for said barrel.

2. A writing instrument as recited in claim 1 and said barrel portion which forms a seat for the clip attaching sleeve having an axial dimension which is less than the corresponding dimension of the clip sleeve so that a circumferential passageway is formed at the upper end of said sleeve which communicates with the hollow post formation and the exterior of the pen and comprises part of the venting passageways.

3. A writing instrument as recited in'claim 2 and said clip attaching sleeve having an axial slot, the upper end of which forms an opening for connecting said circumferential passageway with the exterior of the pen. a

4. A Writing instrument as recited in claim 1, and spaced, axially extending rib formations on one of the confronting surfaces of the plug cover and the post formation which provide between the same venting passageways extending from the open end of the post to the clip sleeve.

5. A writing instrument as recited in claim 1, and said clip sleeve being formed so as to provide an axial slot and a portion thereof forming part of the venting passageways.

6. A writing instrument comprising an elongate barrel for housing a writing fluid with the upper end thereof open, said barrel having a portion at its upper end on which an attaching sleeve is adapted to "be received, a clip member having an attaching sleeve adapted to telescope over and seat on said sleeve receiving portion of said barrel, a hollow post formation extending from said sleeve receiving portion at the upper end of said barrel and projecting above said attaching sleeve, and a cover means adapted to telescope over said hollow post formation and having a bottom edge engaging the top edge of said attaching sleeve so as to retain said sleeve in position on said barrel portion, and said cover means and said sleeve having means forming connecting passageways which extend between the open end of the hollow post formation and the exterior of the barrel so as to form a vent for said barrel.

7. A writing instrument as recited in claim 6, and said post formation being of smaller cross section than the barrel portion which receives the attaching sleeve, and said barrel portion which receives the attaching sleeve having an axial dimension which is less than the corresponding dimension of said attaching sleeve so that a circumferential pasageway is formed at the upper end of said attaching sleeve which communicates with the hollow post formation and the exterior of the pen and comprises part of the venting passageways.

8. A writing instrument comprising an elongate barrel, means therein for housing a writing fluid with the upper end thereof open, said barrel having a portion at its upper end with a reduced cross sectional dimension, a metal clip having a split mounting sleeve adapted to be seated on said barrel portion which is of reduced cross section, said sleeve having an axial slot and an axial dimension greater than the corresponding dimension of the barrel portion on which it seats so that an annular passageway is formed at the top of the sleeve which opens through said slot, a hollow post formation extending from the upper end of said barrel, and a removably mounted plug cover telescoping over said post formation with the bottom edge of the plug cover engaging the top edge of said clip sleeve so as to retain said clip sleeve in position on said barrel portion of reduced cross section, said plug cover having groove formations on its inner surface forming connecting passageways between the open end of said hollow post formation and said annular passageway so as to provide a vent for said barrel.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,271,430 7/1918 Bush 401-x 2,555,985 6/1951 Merryman 24-11 3,315,643 4/1967 Eratico 401-109 LAWRENCE CHARLES, Primary Examiner US. 01. X.R. 

